10 Things To Do Right Now to Improve Your Dance

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

- Lao-tzu

We all want to get become better dancers and better performers. And we all have great intentions: classes we'll take, techniques we'll master, costumes we'll buy, routines we'll choreograph, and so on. But then life gets in the way. There are bills to pay, deadlines to meet, meals to fix, children to care for, and emails to answer. If this sounds anything like you, because I sure as heck know it sounds a lot like me, then the key is to start with micromovements. A micomovement is something small that you can do right now, no matter where you are, and will only take about 5 to 15 minutes. The following list is of items that you could do right now, from just about anyway. Even if you are at work, you could take a quick break and accomplish one of these tasks. So I challenge to pick at least one item off the list and do it right now.

1. Call up your favorite local dancer and schedule a private lesson with her for sometime in the next month.
2. Buy a new belly dance DVD to practice at home with. Some of my favorites are listed on my Recommendations page.
3. Watch a belly dance clip on YouTube to get a dose of inspiration. My favorites are included on my Belly Dance Video Board on Pinterest.
4. Pull out your weekly planner and pencil in 30 minutes of practice time sometime this week.
5. Find a new belly dance song on Spotify. If you don't know what Spotify is, it's a Facebook-based app that let's you search by song, artist or genre; make playlists; and listen to your heart's content, all for free. Download Spotify here.
6. Write down your three dance goals that you want to accomplish in the next year. For each goal write three action steps you need to do to achieve that goal.
7. Sign up to perform at your city's next upcoming halfla or community event. If you're here in Seattle, some ideas are Alauda at Skylark, Saqra's Belly Dance Revenue at Jimmy T's, Skinny Dip at the High Dive, Kalia Greenwood, Kalia Lynnwood, or Hasani's Hafla in Tacoma.
8. Brush up on your belly dance culture and history by reading an article from Habibi magazine. Certain back issues are free and available online at The Best of Habibi.
9. Stretch. Flexibility is an integral part of dancing, so close that office door and spend 5 minutes limbering up.
10. Pick a class or workshop to attend in the next month. Even if you can't commit to doing a full-class series, pick at least one day that you'll drop-in. Write it on your calendar.

There is great power in beginning. You have to start somewhere, so start where you. Do it now.